Prince William and Kate Middleton on Sunday revealed the first winners of the Earthshot Prize. This prize will award about $1.4 million to five different global initiatives that have advanced “cutting-edge environmental solutions” all across the globe.

The prize council, which included climate experts, actors and world leaders, selected the five winners from 15 finalists. The five winners come from the country of Costa Rica to a municipal program in Milan to several different startups.

They were all selected due to “their groundbreaking solutions to the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet,” a news release from the prize said. 

Also read | Prince William launches ‘most prestigious’ environment prize

Prince William, in a statement, said, “Our five inspirational Winners show that everyone has a role to play in the global effort to repair our planet.”

“We need businesses, leaders, innovators, and communities to take action. And, ultimately, we need all of us to demand that the solutions get the support they need. Because the success of our Winners is our collective, global Earthshot.”

The prize is supported by a coalition of individuals, organisations and businesses. 

Earlier, Kensington Palace described it as the “most prestigious global environment prize in history” and said it was inspired by US President John F. Kennedy’s “Moonshot” project in the 1960s.

“We need to find solutions to be able to live our lives and enjoy our lives and not feel guilty and bad about some of the things we do,” the prince, who is second in line to the throne, told BBC Radio 4 in an interview.